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“You didn’t have to be there or have the doctors talk to you to know what happened, Masters. You found her. Now talk,” Rory demands making Maddox turn white.
“I found her in an alley. She was crumpled up on the ground behind a dumpster. She was so eerily quiet and still,” he pauses for a minute. I see him drag a hand down his face as he tries to find whatever it is he’s looking for to continue. “What I felt when I saw her, I hope I never feel again. I called 9-1-1 as soon as I saw her. When I dropped down beside her, her eyes were open and I could see her breathing, but she wasn’t looking at anything. She wasn’t saying anything. I don’t want to say more, but you all need to be prepared.”
“You keep saying that,” Zane grits. “So fucking prepare us.”
He is vibrating with tension and aggression. The muscles in his shoulders and neck bunch under his t-shirt. He won’t be able to control his emotions much longer either. I just pray we don’t snap at the same time. It won’t be pretty, and the news outlets and tabloids will be quick to spin a story they know nothing about.
“Her face is pretty beat up. She couldn’t open one eye and her lip was split pretty badly. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I’d guess her ribs are bruised pretty badly if not broken. They had to sedate her to get her in the ambulance.”
“Why?” Rory asks.
“Because when the EMTs came near her, she started screaming for them to get away from her.”
I squeeze my eyes shut fighting back burning tears that threaten to fall. I should’ve been there with her. I know I was texting her around the time this happen. I should have known something was wrong when she didn’t respond. She always responds.
“Don’t go there you two,” I hear Rory say.
“What do you expect, Rory?” I snap.
“I expect you both to get your shit together before we get in there to her. She needs to see you both strong for her not on the verge of losing your shit. And everyone can see you’re both about to lose it.”
We pull up to the hospital. Olivia, Maddox's roommate, drops us off at the entrance. My stomach drops at the cameras and reporters already there. I move to get out of the SUV when I feel Rory’s hand on my shoulder. “I mean it, Jax. Pull yourself together right fucking now. You are practically vibrating rage and guilt. She doesn’t need that. I’ll handle the assholes out there with the cameras. Okay?”
I look at him in total shock. “You’re going to handle reporters? I thought you worked your ass off to stay away from the media. Though that’s the reason for the distance you put between us.” I say that last part with more bitterness than I intend.
“It’s never been about protecting me, you jackass. I do have to keep a low profile, but the distance is for you. You don’t need to be associated with me, Jax. I’ve been trying to keep my shit far from all of you.”
I turn to him with a look of unbelief. I can’t hear this right now, but I’m also pissed, like he just pointed out. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I explode. “I never cared about that. Fuck, Rory, I was part of it for a while. I just wanted my damn brother.”
His jaw clenches. He’s pissed now too, but I don’t care. “We’re not talking about this right now. Your girl is in there, and she fucking needs you.”
He’s right. I know he’s right. I’m just not sure if I can get my shit together before I see her. But I know I’ve got to try.
Rory does exactly as he says. He keeps the reporters away from Zane and me. If Rory can’t do anything else, he can intimidate the hell out of people.
“We’re here for Zoey Valen,” I say when we get to the desk.
“Relationship?” a woman in her mid-forties with a permeant crease between her eyes from frowning asks. She never looks up.
“I’m her boyfriend. This is her brother,” I gesture to Zane beside me.
“Family only,” the woman says without explanation, and, still, without looking up.
I lean over the desk. I give zero fucks about their damn family only rules. Zoey is my fucking family. I make sure the woman looks up into my face to see how damn serious I am. “I just flew five hours and then drove an hour through fucking New York traffic because my girlfriend has been attacked. There aren’t enough people in this hospital to stop me from seeing her.”
The woman is probably use to threats. She probably deals with irate friends and family everyday. But she’s never met me. Rory isn’t the only one who intimidates people, and I watch her swallow hard. “I’ll let the nurses in the back know you’re here,” she says.
I nod and step back. And I wait.
I lean against a wall near the door. Eyes closed and fist clenched as I try to get myself under control. Zane paces restlessly across the waiting room.
We’re being eyed by several people in the waiting room. I see some holding up phones and know they’re taking pictures. It’s a complete invasion of privacy, but I don’t tell them to stop. I don’t have the energy to focus on them right now.
But, apparently, Rory does have the energy. He walks to everyone who has a phone and snatches them from their hands. Then he throws them on the floor, breaking them under his heel. “What the fuck is wrong with you damn people? Take a mental picture and leave them alone. Can you not guess that if they’re here, then something is wrong? That maybe, just fucking maybe, they’re fucking humans who are here trying to deal with something personal. You want a picture, go to the damn ballgames.”
I watch him and my heart swells for a minute. My brother is putting a lot of himself out there right now. Because of what he does, he tries to keep his face out of the news or social media. When you make your living dealing in the black market, it’s always best for you to draw little attention to your name and face. People know him, know who he is and what he does, but it’s by reputation. The only face the media sees is the business mogul that is well known for his privacy. He’s taking a chance of throwing all of it away. For me. For Zane. For Zoey.
A few people look frightened of my very intimidating older brother. He exudes danger, aggression, and power just like I know I do. Most look ashamed that they have been so thoroughly called out in a very public place. I know by tomorrow it will be all over the internet, but I really don’t care.
